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One Canadian chessplayer's early thoughts on chess ... and reality
One of our (now deceased) Eastern Ontario Chess Association organizers once made the observation that in a way it was good there was little money involved in chess, or organized crime would have long since become involved. :)
So organize events, make them enjoyable, and get people to pay for that enjoyment...
That same EOCA organizer liked to provide to our tournament players some free donuts (while they lasted), and also had the practice of offering door prizes. These touches have since been abandoned, at least in Ottawa events, though attendence (as well as the number of titled players) hasn't been hurt - you might say the TD makes up for the lack of freebies with the quality of his directing and organizing.
How do we acquire more organizers in Canada, ideally ones who are reasonably good at what they do, so that even more enjoyable events are produced? It starts with the CFC. Don't drive away any such organizers with bad CFC policies or actions (fortunately, afaik, this hasn't happened much lately). Additionally, one or more membership drives, or any other measures that would increase membership, could lead to acquiring new organizers (say one out of every fifty new members, just by the odds, I'm guessing).
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer
Yes, for a moment I was focused only on the chess-playing kids who have stars in their eyes right from the start...still, I think that's a big fraction. Can you explain why so many kids who play chess drop out as aduts? I can understand it with hockey, not as well with regard to chess.
I presume most kids (or adults for that matter) simply develop other interests, or, as Peter Bokhout related, they get preoccupied with relationships, children of their own etc)
Perhaps the relentless focus on tournament chess (to the exclusion of other aspects of chess like problems and studies) reduces the apparent choice for many kids to a binary choice between success and failure.
Team sports are different; you can always blame your teammates! :)
In chess, failure is all on your shoulders.
Guess #1: I could become at least a GM if I studied hard, if not a world-class player or even world champion.
Reality: This didn't happen. I consider myself fairly exceptional to have even become a master by my mid-twenties (but I advanced no further).
Guess #2: If I became at least a master, I would surely more than recoup all of my lifetime's tournament entry fees (if not book and equipment costs) in prize money.
Reality: Not even close.
Guess #3: Even if I failed to become any sort of a strong player, I could hope to produce some sort of brilliant 'immortal game' that would be published all over the world.
Reality: Even though I became a master, I've long since realized that it invariably takes two strong players playing freakishly good chess for there to be any chance of a masterpiece ever being produced. Oddly enough, my relatively recent simul games against Short and Shirov did make it to Chessbase's website momentarily, and lots of my lesser games are distributed worldwide, courtesy of monster databases now.
Guess #4: The state of organized chess in Canada would somehow improve in a steady fashion, enabling me to think about playing professionally, i.e. without writing, teaching, and coaching, even if I was merely an IM. That was in spite of what the know-it-all middle-aged casual players were constantly saying at the local club.
Reality: As we all know, this didn't happen, but, rather, things got worse, to put it mildly. I can console myself with the thought that one IM I know made the same miscalculation regarding Canada's chess 'infrastructure', and he has stopped playing the game for several years now.
Guess #5: Computer playing programs would never rise to the level of strong chess players, so the glory of humanity (including possibly myself) would forever rule chess. All the books I read back in the 1970's said so. I had some doubts, but when I took into account the exponential possibilities of the game, I finally reassured myself it was true.
Reality: Boy was everybody wrong!
..... I think I may be looking forward to getting into seniors chess in a decade, especially if the CMA (or CFC ?? ) provides the infrastructure.
well, we had totally different outlooks on life despite being of similar strength give or take.
Guess 1: It never occured to me to think how good I would or wouldn't get. Que sera sera. I was aware that it would probably take hard work :-) and that work would better go into my studies.
Guess 2: It was always transparently obvious to me (then and now) that being a professional chess player was a) only viable at a very high level, b) not a desirable career being hand to mouth on your recent results plus much too nomadic, and not a dependable choice. The same observation applies to pretty much any sports career. It was also transparently obvious to me that as hobbies go, chess was very cheap. No need to worry about winning money when the goal is merely to enjoy yourself.
Guess 3: My and your games get published here and there. You like to self publish your wins :-). I made New In Chess once or so I'm told - I never saw the issue myself. It is particularly satisfying to see your name in an opening book as being the first to play some line [for me, a number of games in the Dragon and in the Archangel], implying that the author, a strong GM, has looked at your game even if sometimes, it is because you were the first to play a particularly bad move. These days with databases, pretty much everybody shows up and if you are the first.... I presume the same has occured to you (if not, maybe you need a bigger library :-) )
Guess 4: Without somebody actively planning to change things, I don't see how you would think the status quo would change. Nor do I agree that the plight of "professional" players is synonymous with the health of chess.
Guess 5: Well, professionally, I was called upon in the 80's to predict (or rather review the literature) how far computing power would go - Nobody really believed Moore's Law would hold up, it was just a curious observation about the past expected to level off any day now. Still, the data about computer rating versus number crunching ability was pretty clear [see for example Murray Campbell et al. Deep Blue team article in Scientific American].
As for senior's tournaments: If you want them, you should organize them or otherwise support their organization. Don't blame an amorphous group - you are the CFC. Not sure why you think this is particulary an issue. Chess is chess is chess against anybody.
One of our (now deceased) Eastern Ontario Chess Association organizers ... That same EOCA organizer liked to provide to our tournament players some free donuts (while they lasted), and also had the practice of offering door prizes. These touches have since been abandoned, at least in Ottawa events, though attendence (as well as the number of titled players) hasn't been hurt - you might say the TD makes up for the lack of freebies with the quality of his directing and organizing.
How do we acquire more organizers in Canada, ideally ones who are reasonably good at what they do, so that even more enjoyable events are produced? It starts with the CFC. Don't drive away any such organizers with bad CFC policies or actions (fortunately, afaik, this hasn't happened much lately). Additionally, one or more membership drives, or any other measures that would increase membership, could lead to acquiring new organizers (say one out of every fifty new members, just by the odds, I'm guessing).
I find this thread very interesting, and I just want to share an anecdote from the first weekend tournament I ran for the EOCA, the RA Spring Open, over half a decade ago.
I had run many regular and active events at work, where we had a pretty healthy chess club, at least before the slashing layoffs started, DOH! Anyway, I remember being quite excited, and came up with the idea of producing commemorative mugs. It actually took me a fair amount of effort, as I had no idea who made these, how much they cost, delivery logistics, etc. I was also pretty weak with artistic software, but it was fun spending hours trying to build just the right logo, trying it with different colours, shading, and so on. My regular work offered little opportunities for creativity, so I thoroughly enjoyed the prep.
I know that some players absolutely loved those mugs! I erred on the optimistic safe side, having too many made, and some players asked for more than their own mug. But after that, things got different. The majority of players did not really say anything, which is fine.
But then there was the people who complained! Players who thought the money came out of the prizes in their section, parents who felt it was inappropriate to encourage coffee use among children, people who were worried that if this happened too often, that they would run out of cupboard space in their kitchen. Really, I was absolutely shocked and not awed.
Of course, as you probably figured out by now, even though I had initially planned a series of mugs, I sadly let that die. I tried door prizes for a couple more events, but eventually, complaints (someone even threw a book prize back at me) psychologically exhausted me.
I know that we are quick to blame the CFC, OCA, etc. policies and actions. I have been one of those people, and I keep trying to remind myself to be constructive in any criticism. However, when it comes to pushing Organizers/TDs away from running chess, I don't know if it fundamentally "starts with the CFC". It might, but it might not. I respectfully submit that some players and parents grossly underestimate how much they personally hurt an Organizer/TD when they complain, berate, accuse, etc. On the other hand, words cannot describe the rush when someone shakes your hand in thanks, or comes to your defence.
Anyway, just food for thought. In my own life, and in supporting our kids various interests, I have been fairly deeply involved in quite a few activities. In my humble opinion, chess is the worst when it comes to the ratio of negative-over-positive feedback. Bloody shame.
I find this thread very interesting, and I just want to share an anecdote from the first weekend tournament I ran for the EOCA, the RA Spring Open, over half a decade ago.
I had run many regular and active events at work, where we had a pretty healthy chess club, at least before the slashing layoffs started, DOH! Anyway, I remember being quite excited, and came up with the idea of producing commemorative mugs. It actually took me a fair amount of effort, as I had no idea who made these, how much they cost, delivery logistics, etc. I was also pretty weak with artistic software, but it was fun spending hours trying to build just the right logo, trying it with different colours, shading, and so on. My regular work offered little opportunities for creativity, so I thoroughly enjoyed the prep.
I know that some players absolutely loved those mugs! I erred on the optimistic safe side, having too many made, and some players asked for more than their own mug. But after that, things got different. The majority of players did not really say anything, which is fine.
But then there was the people who complained! Players who thought the money came out of the prizes in their section, parents who felt it was inappropriate to encourage coffee use among children, people who were worried that if this happened too often, that they would run out of cupboard space in their kitchen. Really, I was absolutely shocked and not awed.
Of course, as you probably figured out by now, even though I had initially planned a series of mugs, I sadly let that die. I tried door prizes for a couple more events, but eventually, complaints (someone even threw a book prize back at me) psychologically exhausted me.
I know that we are quick to blame the CFC, OCA, etc. policies and actions. I have been one of those people, and I keep trying to remind myself to be constructive in any criticism. However, when it comes to pushing Organizers/TDs away from running chess, I don't know if it fundamentally "starts with the CFC". It might, but it might not. I respectfully submit that some players and parents grossly underestimate how much they personally hurt an Organizer/TD when they complain, berate, accuse, etc. On the other hand, words cannot describe the rush when someone shakes your hand in thanks, or comes to your defence.
Anyway, just food for thought. In my own life, and in supporting our kids various interests, I have been fairly deeply involved in quite a few activities. In my humble opinion, chess is the worst when it comes to the ratio of negative-over-positive feedback. Bloody shame.
I still have my mug :-), my last tournament in Ottawa before I moved to BC. Maybe not my favourite mug but pretty high on the list...
Yes, for a moment I was focused only on the chess-playing kids who have stars in their eyes right from the start...still, I think that's a big fraction. Can you explain why so many kids who play chess drop out as aduts? I can understand it with hockey, not as well with regard to chess.
Hi Kevin,
Could be so many things...
As kids, we just seem to have more time on our hands (at least I felt that then). To many people, other priorities take over in life in adult-life: post-secondary schooling, developing friendship and romantic relationships, job/career, etc... Chess is very time consuming and takes a backseat. Still many people return to chess when a more routine lifestyle is in place.
I am not sure why chess would be compared to hockey. Adults can still play hockey in certain leagues, I have friends who do and are considerably older.
A friend of mine who I play in the same tournaments with, had compared playing a tournament chess game with writing an exam. "Why would anyone want to write 5 exams in a row?" -- many agree, but we still come back to do it. I also feel, every time I play in a chess tournament (if I travel more so, but while at home too)... my sleep, eating and 'exercise' habits suffer significantly. To the point that I often times feel completely drained and lifeless at the end of a tournament. Surely one could conscientiously make the additional effort of packing lunch, going to bed immediately after the game, etc... But the opposite tends to happen. How long can I keep this up for, I often wonder.
Chess is also endless when it comes to room for improvement, and improving takes a lot of hard work, especially the higher you are. At which point does a hobby become work?
How many adults can have this in addition to the other components of life?
I know that some players absolutely loved those mugs! I erred on the optimistic safe side, having too many made, and some players asked for more than their own mug. But after that, things got different. The majority of players did not really say anything, which is fine.
Great gift mug! - I received one from you even if I could not participate in that event. It is still treasured in our family - even if our cupboard is full ;)
Re: One Canadian chessplayer's early thoughts on chess ... and reality
I still have, and enjoy using, two of the mugs that Aris spoke of - my bad for forgetting.
I acknowledge the observations Roger made on my guesses for chess as a teenager - those guesses were my own, though at least some people may have made the some of the same miscalculations (as one person I know did, as I pointed out for guess #4; my miscalculation for guess #5 depended on not reading/believing some of the books on computing [if not computer chess] that Roger and Paul refered to).
Regarding guess #3, achieving a sort of minor negative immortality in someone's opening book(s) isn't quite what I had in mind back then :) - nor was occasionally having my admittedly somewhat mediocre (at least from the point of not being masterpiece) games published in issues of just one national magazine - back in the 70's I clearly had the anthologies for brilliancies in mind for myself instead. :)
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer
I had run many regular and active events at work, where we had a pretty healthy chess club, at least before the slashing layoffs started, DOH! Anyway, I remember being quite excited, and came up with the idea of producing commemorative mugs.
I have similar experience by running a website dedicated to chess. After some thoughts I decided to create the Best player award calculating tournament performances (i.e., analog sum( Closed x10, Open x10, some weekenders x3)). The prize was a mug. A beer mug :D (a Pilsner type) Cheers
As for senior's tournaments: If you want them, you should organize them or otherwise support their organization. Don't blame an amorphous group - you are the CFC. Not sure why you think this is particulary an issue. Chess is chess is chess against anybody.
As I wrote in an older thread, which you may have missed, I once asked Larry Bevand on the old chesstalk about the CMA getting into the senior's 'market', and his response was that the CMA had it mind, for when it judged the market to be large enough, which would be not too far off in the future (I believe I'm paraphrasing). That would include recruiting even raw beginners from communities/associations which are heavily populated by Seniors.
It would be nice if the CFC expanded its seniors tournament 'infrastructure' such as it has, but it has far less resources and efficiency than the CMA - just look at the history of the CMA's success in Canada's junior 'market'. One person alone organizing more events would be nice, but not sufficient. Perhaps when I am once more a CFC Governor again (which I won't be till after the AGM) I can try to stir the pot in some fashion, but I do recognize by now that the CFC is a big ship that one person alone cannot steer all by himself, even if on the Executive.
It's sort of true that 'chess is chess is chess against anybody', but one reality is that for juniors and seniors, at least some prefer to play amost exclusively against their own age group. My own interest in playing chess as a senior in my future years might involve that viewpoint, but more important would be the other reality that chess-playing ability etc. can decline at some rate or other with aging, so I could be happy to play against other seniors to a greater extent (probably not exclusively) when I become one myself.
Plus, even better, if one wins seniors championship(s), which could be much easier to win for me than say even an Ottawa Closed, one could get to travel, perhaps even to the World Seniors (in an, e.g., expenses covered trip to, say, Europe, as one senior here in Ottawa is hoping for), if one wins the Canadian Seniors (a CFC Seniors' event which thankfully does exist).
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer
As I wrote in an older thread, which you may have missed, I once asked Larry Bevand on the old chesstalk about the CMA getting into the senior's 'market', and his response was that the CMA had it mind, for when it judged the market to be large enough, which would be not too far off in the future (I believe I'm paraphrasing). That would include recruiting even raw beginners from communities/associations which are heavily populated by Seniors.
It would be nice if the CFC expanded its seniors tournament 'infrastructure' such as it has, but it has far less resources and efficiency than the CMA - just look at the history of the CMA's success in Canada's junior 'market'. One person alone organizing more events would be nice, but not sufficient. Perhaps when I am once more a CFC Governor again (which I won't be till after the AGM) I can try to stir the pot in some fashion, but I do recognize by now that the CFC is a big ship that one person alone cannot steer all by himself, even if on the Executive.
It's sort of true that 'chess is chess is chess against anybody', but one reality is that for juniors and seniors, at least some prefer to play amost exclusively against their own age group. My own interest in playing chess as a senior in my future years might involve that viewpoint, but more important would be the other reality that chess-playing ability etc. can decline at some rate or other with aging, so I could be happy to play against other seniors to a greater extent (probably not exclusively) when I become one myself.
Plus, even better, if one wins seniors championship(s), which could be much easier to win for me than say even an Ottawa Closed, one could get to travel, perhaps even to the World Seniors (in an, e.g., expenses covered trip to, say, Europe, as one senior here in Ottawa is hoping for), if one wins the Canadian Seniors (a CFC Seniors' event which thankfully does exist).
all of this is a fancy way of saying you want someone else to do the work. Don't we all. It doesn't happen unless you step up to the plate. You mention the Ottawa closed - AFAIK it hasn't happened since I left Ottawa. No one, and if you miss it, I'm looking at you, has stepped up to the plate.
You can muse all you want about how the CFC should do this or that but if you want something to happen, do it. And becoming a CFC governor to pass motions doesn't cut it in terms of results.
all of this is a fancy way of saying you want someone else to do the work. Don't we all. It doesn't happen unless you step up to the plate. You mention the Ottawa closed - AFAIK it hasn't happened since I left Ottawa. No one, and if you miss it, I'm looking at you, has stepped up to the plate.
You can muse all you want about how the CFC should do this or that but if you want something to happen, do it. And becoming a CFC governor to pass motions doesn't cut it in terms of results.
Unlike you, I believe I've never tried to name and bully a specific individual into running events. That's up to them. What I'm more interested in is seeing that the conditions are more fertile for all who are willing to organize when they are ready to do so. When it comes to seniors chess, at least, the CMA is always there in case the CFC falters.
FYI, I was made the eventual backup choice for Governor for the EOCA while I was in Havana, and I later took the spot when someone else who was with me in Havana declined it after returning home. I have yet to decide on any sort of agenda or committee work for myself to delve into as a Governor.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer
Unlike you [Roger], I believe I've never tried to name and bully a specific individual into running events. That's up to them. What I'm more interested in is seeing that the conditions are more fertile for all who are willing to organize when they are ready to do so.
In case you insist on being particularly hard-nosed about this, I'll attempt defend myself further, even though I don't believe it's necessary at all. I'll explain some of my personal circumstances, even though you and others will most likely scoff.
Back in the 1980's (a decade that I spent as a TD in Brampton), I had a number of what I'll call supernatural events happen in my life, some of which I've written about on chesstalk before. Other people may call them the onset of schizophrenia. It would include seeing a series of visions of my future, and certain scenes from, say, CNN, that I recognized well over a decade later after they actually occured.
In 1990, a year after I moved back to Ottawa, all these long buried memories came back more or less sequentially one at a time, and continue to do so. Since that year I have been praying for something to happen, but, in the name of equal time, you might say, I daily face the occasional simulated physical and psychological torments, deceptions and temptations of an unseen spirit whose identity you can probably guess.
The upshot is, I find it difficult, sometimes painful, while I'm playing at least some of my chess games, let alone other moments of my days. Something like at least 5% of my time each day, I would guess. I'm willing to botch an occasional chess game, or perhaps slightly mar by any misunderstandings a stint or two as a Governor, on account of my 'handicap', but I don't know how bad things could get for myself or participants if I were responsible for organizing or directing something as important as a tournament. At any rate, I am currently classed as disabled. However I hope this may change soon, especially since there are predictions I've read of for such momentous things as, perhaps, the second coming, to happen around next year. In any event, I was never informed of how my life or other people's would turn out.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer
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